Alsace Blog

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  Meisenthal Blown Glass - the Ancestral Art of Vosges Crystal

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture

  3746 Views 2466 Liked

  Since 1704, the village of Meisenthal has perpetuated the ancestral art of blown glass in the Vosges forest of northern Alsace. Birthplace of the modern Christmas bauble and a hub of contemporary glass art, this small Moselle village bordering Alsace embodies exceptional craftsmanship passed down for over three centuries.

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  Alsace with Family - Activities and Outings for Young and Old

  Posted in: Practical Guides & Tips

  3168 Views 1983 Liked

  Alsace is a family destination par excellence. Between animal parks, enchanting villages, educational farms and outdoor activities suited to all ages, the region offers an exceptional playground where young and old alike find their happiness, summer and winter alike.

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  The Alsatian Ried - Kingdom of Storks and Floodable Orchards

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Practical Guides & Tips

  3211 Views 2008 Liked

  The Alsatian Ried, a vast alluvial plain woven between the branches of the Ill and Rhine rivers, is one of Western Europe's richest wetlands. The historical birthplace of stork reintroduction, land of century-old orchards and floodable meadows, the Ried offers a unique landscape where preserved nature and farming traditions blend harmoniously.

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  The Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park - Summits and High Pastures

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Practical Guides & Tips

  2520 Views 1467 Liked

  The Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park spans nearly 3,000 km² across Alsace, Lorraine and Franche-Comté. Its rounded summits - the famous "ballons" - its flowering high pastures and glacial lakes make it one of eastern France's most emblematic and best-preserved natural spaces.

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  The Haguenau Forest - Europe's Largest Lowland Forest

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Practical Guides & Tips

  3165 Views 1934 Liked

  With its 13,000 hectares, the Haguenau Forest is Europe's largest lowland forest. This green lung of northern Alsace, crossed by ancient paths and steeped in legend, offers walkers and nature lovers a timeless journey into the heart of an exceptionally rich ecosystem.

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  Alsatian Fruit Brandy - Tradition and Craftsmanship of the Distillers

  Posted in: Alsatian Wines & Gastronomy

  4163 Views 2863 Liked

  Alsatian fruit brandy is one of the lesser-known treasures of the region's gastronomic heritage. Mirabelle, quetsche, kirsch, raspberry - these fruit brandies, distilled using age-old methods by passionate small-scale distillers, testify to a unique craft and an exceptional fruit terroir.

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  Alsatian Food and Wine Pairings - the Guide to Perfect Matches

  Posted in: Alsatian Wines & Gastronomy

  4743 Views 3027 Liked

  Alsace offers one of France's richest grape variety palettes, each with its own personality and preferred pairings. From mineral Riesling to opulent Gewurztraminer, from light Pinot Noir to festive Crémant - knowing how to match the right wine to the right dish transforms a meal into a true gastronomic experience.

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  Crémant d'Alsace - the Alsatian Alternative to Champagne

  Posted in: Alsatian Wines & Gastronomy

  6341 Views 4059 Liked

  Crémant d'Alsace is France's leading sparkling wine by volume outside Champagne. Produced using the traditional method - second fermentation in the bottle as in Champagne - it offers a quality and characterful alternative, often at a far more accessible price, for every festive and gastronomic occasion.

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  Vendanges Tardives and SGN - Alsace's Exceptional Sweet Wines

  Posted in: Alsatian Wines & Gastronomy

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  The Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles are the two appellations of absolute prestige in the Alsatian wine region. These exceptional sweet wines - produced only in great years, in tiny quantities - rank among the world's finest sweet white wines, capable of rivalling Sauternes and German Trockenbeerenauslesen.

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  Alsace Grands Crus - 51 Exceptional Terroirs for the Finest Wines

  Posted in: Alsatian Wines & Gastronomy

  7005 Views 4761 Liked

  The Alsace Grands Crus represent the elite of Alsatian viticulture. These 51 exceptional terroirs, precisely delimited on the Vosges hillsides, produce the most complex and most gastronomic white wines of the region. A unique viticultural heritage in France, to be discovered and understood to fully appreciate the richness of Alsatian wines.

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  Alsatian Christmas Decoration - Symbols, Crafts and Trends

  Posted in: Christmas in Alsace

  4937 Views 2957 Liked

  Alsatian Christmas decoration is one of the richest and most recognisable in Europe. Blown-glass storks, golden pretzels, lucky witches, Stars of Bethlehem and traditional motifs dress houses and markets in a unique atmosphere that blends centuries-old tradition with contemporary artisan creativity.

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  Alsatian Advent Traditions - Wreath, Christkindel and Four Sundays

  Posted in: Christmas in Alsace

  4246 Views 2769 Liked

  In Alsace, Advent is far more than a simple waiting period before Christmas. It is a full month of family rituals, spice aromas and soft lights - the four-candle Advent wreath, the Advent calendar, the Christkindel and the four Sundays of contemplation and celebration that punctuate the weeks until 25 December.

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  Alsatian Legends - Stollhexe, Night Washerwomen and Forest Dwarves

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture

  2562 Views 1757 Liked

  Alsace is a land of legends. Vosges forests, castle ruins, misty valleys and old half-timbered villages have for centuries nourished a teeming imagination peopled with mysterious creatures - mine witches, nocturnal washerwomen, mischievous dwarves and water spirits. A fascinating intangible heritage that tells as much about Alsace as its monuments and its gastronomy.

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  Wissembourg - the Hidden Pearl of Northern Alsace

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Practical Guides & Tips

  2513 Views 1059 Liked

  Wissembourg, nestled in a bend of the Lauter river at the German border, is one of the most charming and least-known towns in Alsace. Its medieval half-timbered houses, its thousand-year-old Romanesque abbey church, its cobbled streets and its northernmost vineyard make it a discreet gem that is well worth the detour for anyone seeking an authentic and unspoilt Alsace.

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  The Sundgau - Alsace's Hidden Gem between Vosges, Rhine and Jura

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Practical Guides & Tips

  3044 Views 1833 Liked

  In southern Alsace, between the Rhine, the Swiss Jura and the first Vosges foothills, the Sundgau is the great forgotten region of Alsatian tourism. Yet this peaceful and unspoilt territory holds unsuspected treasures - its carp ponds, its flower-filled villages, its unique three-country border and a rare authenticity that captivates all those who take the time to discover it.

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  Hansi and the Alsatian Resistance - Art as a Weapon against Annexation

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture

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  Jean-Jacques Waltz, known as Hansi, was not merely the picturesque illustrator of a happy Alsace. He was above all a cultural resistance fighter of rare determination, who used his pencil as a weapon against German occupation for nearly fifty years. Condemned by the Kaiser's courts, driven into exile, hunted - his fight for Alsatian identity is one of the most moving pages of regional history.

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  Traditional Alsatian Costumes - Red Bow, Black Headdress and Embroidery

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture

  5245 Views 3917 Liked

  Traditional Alsatian costumes are among the most colourful and recognisable in Europe. From the great red bow of Strasbourg to the majestic black headdress of the Sundgau, through the floral embroidery of the Vosges foothills, these regional costumes tell a thousand years of history, influences and Alsatian identity.

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  Munster PDO - History and Secrets of the King of Alsatian Cheeses

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Alsatian Wines & Gastronomy

  3225 Views 2006 Liked

  Munster - or Munster-Géromé - is the quintessential Alsatian cheese. Produced in the Munster valley and on the Vosges high pastures since the Middle Ages, this soft washed-rind cheese has held a Protected Designation of Origin since 1969. Powerful in aroma, surprising on the palate, it is the most authentic expression of the Vosges terroir.

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